LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County residents will now have an opportunity to get recovery questions answered one-on-one with Valley Fire Long-Term Recovery Coordinator Carol Huchingson.

Huchingson, who is the Lake County Social Services Department director, has been tapped by the Lake County Board of Supervisors to lead the Valley Fire Long-Term Recovery Task Force.

The task force focuses on bringing residents the resources they need to recover from the Valley fire.

“Carol has excellent management skills and really cares about Lake County. She’ll do an outstanding job leading the recovery,” said District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown.

Two days a week, Huchingson will hold open office hours at the Gibson Museum and Cultural Center, located at 21267 Calistoga St. at Callayomi Street in Middletown.

Fire survivors and residents can drop by in person to discuss or ask questions about the recovery process.

“I may not know all the answers to every question, but if I don't know an answer, I will find the person who does,” said Huchingson.

Office hours will be held on Mondays from 1 to 3 p.m., and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. to noon. These hours do not include Thanksgiving or Christmas week.

Last week, Huchingson held the Long-Term Recovery Task Force meeting in public at the Twin Pine Casino Event Center and will continue to do so on each Tuesday at 6 p.m., as long as necessary. Locations may change.

“This is an opportunity for Lake County residents to hear firsthand about the progress being made in the Valley fire recovery. It will also provide an opportunity for the community to ask questions and provide input towards the recovery process,” said Huchingson.

Besides several county departments, the California Office of Emergency Services, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Middletown Rancheria, and Team Lake County are some of the partners that participate in the task force.

Huchingson hopes that the open Valley Fire Long-Term Recovery Task Force meetings along with her office hours will provide the community with much needed opportunities to get first-hand answers to their recovery questions.

The Lake County Valley Fire Recovery Task Force is a partnership of local, state, federal, and tribal representatives.

These agencies are working together to provide comprehensive services to aid in the recovery of Valley fire survivors and Lake County residents.

The group was convened at the end of September immediately following the deactivation of the Lake County Emergency Operation Center.

For the latest news and information on the Valley fire recovery, please visit www.LakeCountyRecovers.com or Lake County OES’s social media sites on Twitter, @LakeCountyOES, and Facebook, LakeCountyOES.